We the branch, He the Vine.
Posted by appolus on August 24, 2019
When the branch is cut from the world, it must then be grafted to the vine. To cut the branch it must be wounded, to receive the branch the vine must be wounded. For the branch to be successfully grafted in, it must enter into the wound of the vine, and then stay there, abide there. We enter into His sufferings. We cannot run from the sufferings of the Lord, we have to be a part of it, enter in to be vitally connected to the Lord.
In the parable of the ten virgins all were virgins. All had lamps. All had oil, to one degree or another. All gave of light. Yet when the gross darkness came, when the Lord’s trumpet sounded to signify His return, only the virgins that had oil in their vessels were ready. To have oil in our vessels we, like the lamp-stand, must be vitally connected to the olive tree. Oil must pour directly from Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the deep vessels of our heart.
So why do we suffer as Christians? It strengthens the vital connection between our Lord and ourselves. Only by abiding in Him and His word can we have the strength to overcome and endure. Weightlifters lift weights and by overcoming resistance they become strong. If they stop lifting weights they quickly lose that strength and the muscle can become fat and they become weak.
When we resist the enemy by the power of the Spirit we become strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Our strength and the ability to shine our light in the darkness, not just for a moment but unto death if need be, is directly related to the oil in our vessels. Are you vitally connected to the Lord Jesus and His Holy Spirit? Is He your life, your beating heart, the reason that you get up in the morning?
Those who run from trouble, who actively avoid the entering into His sufferings, disconnect themselves from the vine. It is not always readily apparent who has done this. For the light can still shine, even if it is just for a period of time. Yet in a sustained period of suffering or trial or storm, then we see who is vitally connected, whose light will go on shining even when it seems the darkness will never end. Many of those who profess faith in the Lord Jesus, who initially heard the word with gladness will be consumed by the darkness as their light fails in the coming prolonged period of darkness. They draw back into perdition. Their shallow root shrivels up in the heat of affliction. The few will continue to shine their light as a witness to their vital connection with the Lord our God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
A Call To The Remnant 
Homer Les said
Amen! Very true. May we embrace the suffering Jesus leads us through for a season so we are free of ‘self’ and growing into intimacy with Him.
Blessings,
Homer Les
http://Www.uncompromisingfaith.ca
Rebecca said
Jesus spoke about suffering … the apostles certainly suffered. The children of Abba are now suffering … more so in the middle east but we should be prepared because it is coming here too. All things are for our good and His purposes… and His glory. All we have to do is look at Stephen … we can look in our own century at Dietrich Bonhoeffer … Corrie Ten Boom … Lilias Trotter and so many others. My and your suffering does not compare … yet. His Holy Spirit is so close during these times … and the tests just keep intensifying. So as the church we need to be prepared for what is coming. We are to walk with Jesus everyday … all the time. If we keep our eyes focused on Jesus … not turning to the left or the right He will shelter us through this coming dark storm. In Him alone is victory … no matter the circumstance … no matter … to live or to die in Christ is the motto or our banner. We are to be about our Father’s business … going and doing His will. I long to see Jesus face to face so I struggle but I press on.
Rebecca
appolus said
” I struggle but I press on,” may very well be the definition of enduring to the end………………..bro Frank
Robert Taylor said
Brother Frank…..I have been down into the State if Sinaloa here in Mexico., and just got back. That is a dark, dreadful, and lawless place down there. There is only one solution to all the wickedness both here in Mexico, and the USA. The churches need to be grafted back into the vine. The problem is not with the government, the problem is with the church. The church dropped the ball. You hit the nail on the head, the churches need to be grafted back into the vine that they broke themselves 0ff from, and it is not something that has just happened, it happened decades ago. Blessings from Mexico brother